Eric's Trip INTERVIEW ARCHIVE July 13, 1995 - Canada

Personnel

Interviewer(s)

Gene Kosowan

Interviewee(s)

Chris Thompson

Sources

Medium	Publisher	Date of Issue	Title	Transcript
Print	See Magazine, Issue No. 88	07/13/1995	Trip to Meet Hip at High River	Yes

Transcript

Eric's Trip may have been Sub Pop'sfirst Canadian acquisition, but the signing of the Moncton quartet to Seattle's chic label in 1993 hasn't exactly changed their profile.

"They're like friends," says guitarist Chris Thompson about the group's following. "Most of the people who like us -- and I don't think there are that many - understand what we're trying to do. So we just try to treat them the best we can."

That said, it comes as no surprise that Eric's Trip isn't anticipating an expansion of their loyalty base when they play the Another Roadside Attraction mega-concert in High River July 15 -- especailly when the act topping the bill happens to be Canuck chart-busters The Tragically Hip. "The crowd that likes The Tragically Hip is going to be the strange part because theyre not really the same people who would like us," says Thompson, on the phone from Moncton.

Skater Kids

"Those who come to see us are more skater alternative kids or older alternative people and The Tragically Hip gets mainly jock sports-like people. At least that's the way it is around here. So it should be interesting to see what happens."

That alt-crowd has been putting more fishheads on E.T.'s delitray these days. Formed five years ago, Thompson, bassist Julie Doiron, guitarist Rick White and drummer Mark Gaudet began charming crowds with their low-fi allure, evident on such indie offerings as their Peter EP.

After Sub Pop beckoned, the band doggedly stuck to its production values with releases like Love Tara and the newest offering, Forever Again. The label seemed compliant enough to let the band members work on side projects like White's solo Elevator From Hell venture, which has also been released on Sub Pop. The rest of the group has also found outlets. Doiron's Broken Girl project has already put out a seven-inch single. Thompson has Moon Socket to tinker with. And Gaudet drums for a band called Purple Night.

Still, Thompson claims theese individual endeavors hardly ddetract from the E.T. nucleus. "Eric's Trip is the main centre for all of our side projects," he says. "It's like th sun and we're like all the planets revolving around the sun. Thy get to do what they want but they're stuck around the sun."

This fall, the group plans to record another album in Moncton, which they hope will be released in January. After that, Thompson sems to have one dream he'd like to see realized. "We'd all like to make a film, like a movie kind of thing, kind of like The Monkees' Head. It would be something crazy and psychedelic."

© Gene Kosowan, 1995